Matt LaFleur doesn’t need much reminding that the Packers’ last trip into the postseason ended badly. Green Bay got bounced on Wild Card Weekend by the Chicago Bears, and even after that collapse, the organization still handed its head coach a contract extension. So when Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd started hammering LaFleur with the kind of criticism that sticks, it landed squarely in the middle of a season where the Packers are already trying to prove something.
LaFleur has made it clear since training camp opened that the urgency is real. The Packers need cleaner execution between plays, and that starts with the Jordan Love-led offense. He’s been around long enough in Green Bay to know that the little things separate teams that merely win from teams that actually hold up when the games get tight.
But the old label still hangs around this team.
Cowherd, joined by former Packers beat writer Ty Dunne, went after LaFleur with some harsh language, saying:
"You just see a lack of will. A lack of toughness.
[...] You punch the Packers in the mouth under Matt LaFleur, they're not gonna punch back.
[...] They need a killer instinct."
Cowherd tied that criticism to the NFC North’s two most forceful coaching personalities, pointing to Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell as the division’s more aggressive voices. He also noted Green Bay’s 4-8 record against the 49ers and Lions, teams widely viewed as among the conference’s most physical.
Then came the line that will probably set off Packers fans the most:
"It kind of felt soft as brie cheese in a town that loves aged cheddar. It's a real thing.
It's kind of being amplified. They feel a little soft.
Chicago and Detroit are hyper-aggressive. They're in the same division."
That perception is easy to repeat when the results break the wrong way, but it doesn’t quite survive a closer look. Green Bay’s playoff exit wasn’t just about some bigger identity problem.
Brandon McManus missed two field goals and an extra point, and if he hits them, the Packers move on to the Divisional Round. Caleb Williams had to make multiple miraculous plays just to keep Chicago close while McManus was unraveling.
LaFleur’s offensive track record also matters here. Since taking over, he’s kept the unit moving, handled Love’s early development, and dealt with the impossible reality of replacing Aaron Rodgers. That process has not been flashy, but it has worked.
Love’s timeline is still early, too. The 2026 season will be his fourth as a full-time starter.
Jared Goff, by comparison, had two full seasons of runway and bad teams before Detroit finally broke through. Goff also threw three interceptions in his last playoff start, a home loss as the No. 1 seed, and the Lions didn’t make the postseason this past year.
And there’s more to Green Bay’s issues than Love or LaFleur. They don’t run the defense.
They didn’t lose Micah Parsons to a major injury. Those kinds of problems matter when you’re trying to figure out why a team hasn’t cleared the final hurdle.
Love turns 28 in November. LaFleur is 46. Neither one is going anywhere anytime soon, which makes the rush to label them soft feel a little premature.
Cowherd’s praise for Johnson and Campbell deserves a look, too. Campbell’s all-out style cost Detroit a shot at Super Bowl LVIII when the Lions blew a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship Game.
And after Johnson’s big win over Green Bay, he didn’t go for a winning 2-point conversion against the Rams in the Divisional Round late in the fourth quarter. Williams’ overtime interception then sent Los Angeles to Seattle for the NFC title game.
LaFleur’s answer is the one available to him: keep pushing through it. He’s not the image of a passive coach, either.
He gets animated when the Packers score, and he can get just as worked up with officials. His teams are prepared.
Malik Willis, whose career was on life support, played well in Love’s place and became the Miami Dolphins’ new starter this year.
The bigger picture in the NFL always comes back to the coach-quarterback pairing, and that’s where Green Bay still has a real chance. Detroit’s charm comes with pressure.
Goff is a pocket passer who took a career-high 38 sacks in 2025, and the Lions’ offensive line and defense both remain questions. Chicago is betting on a Year 2 jump from Williams, but he’s still a wildly scattershot passer by NFL accuracy standards.
The Bears also benefited from a lot of good fortune last season. They pulled off six fourth-quarter comebacks among their 11 regular-season wins and finished with a plus-22 turnover margin, a number that tends to swing the other way over time.
So yes, Cowherd’s criticism reflects a broader outside view of the Packers. But it also feels bigger than the reality of what LaFleur has actually done: six playoff berths in seven years.
The challenge now is obvious. Green Bay has to turn that consistency into something deeper.
Maybe that’s where the noise helps. Maybe the “soft” talk gives LaFleur and Love the extra edge they need. And if Parsons gets back healthy and Trey Smack turns out to be an upgrade over McManus in the kicking game, the Packers might finally have the pieces to make sure the conversation changes on the field.
In Other News...
Packers Suddenly Have A Growing Keisean Nixon Problem
Keisean Nixon entered Packers training camp with a clear opportunity to strengthen his case for a starting cornerback role, but the recent picture in practice has been a lot less settled. Green Bay has started giving first-string reps to Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste instead of Nixon in recent workouts, a notable shift for a veteran trying to hold off younger competition and stay in the mix at a key spot in the secondary.
Nixons uneven stretch has not gone unnoticed, especially after he was beaten multiple times in practice, including during Family Night. The Packers have not made any final roster decisions, but the changing rep distribution suggests the team may be rethinking how he fits into the cornerback rotation as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
MarShawn Lloyd Puts A New Packers Camp Question In Focus
MarShawn Lloyd is back on the field for Packers training camp, and for a team that spent the better part of last season waiting for him to get healthy, that alone is notable. The second-year running back missed his entire sophomore campaign because of injuries, so simply seeing him participating again adds a different layer to Green Bays backfield picture as camp opens and jobs start to take shape.
Lloyd has sounded encouraged about where he stands physically and how ready he feels to help, which only sharpens the question facing the Packers now. Josh Jacobs remains the clear lead back, but if Lloyd can stay on the field and keep building through camp, Green Bay will have a decision to make about how much room there is for him in the rotation and how quickly that chance can arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Nickel Depth Problem They Didnt Expect
The Packers nickel picture got a lot murkier in a hurry during practice, when a pair of defensive backs were forced out and the team suddenly had to start sorting through its slot options. Green Bay has been leaning on Javon Bullard as the starting slot corner, and with his status now uncertain, the ripple effect reached quickly into the rest of the secondary.
Johnathan Baldwin, who had been part of the conversation for depth at the position, was also moved off the roster with an injury designation after a knee issue in practice. That leaves the Packers weighing alternatives behind Bullard, with Kitan Oladapo and Keisean Nixon among the names that could be asked to help stabilize the backup nickel role if the situation lingers. [Read more 🡒]